Smartphone Room Key Just The Begining

by Chris Owen on

Smartphone technology has become an integral part of travel, bringing GEO tagging applications, instant photo uploading to share with the world, and more. Now, smartphones are set to allow hotel guests to bypass check-in and unlock their guest room door simply by touching the handle.

“We’re able to have the hotel guest download our app, put their username and password in, and then it links the reservation to their mobile devices,” said Ben Robertson, CEO of y!kes in a Hotel Management interview.

The process is simple. On the day of the reservation, connected guests will get a notification saying their room is ready. Step into the hotel’s lobby and the system checks them in. Upon arriving at their assigned hotel room, users simply touch the door handle, which recognizes them automatically and allows entrance.The mobile app works with most smartphones, but for guests with out one, the lock system can also work with a traditional key card. In the future, the Y!kes plans to add capabilities to control the temperature, room lighting and TV preferences.

“We’re making it so that the mobile device really makes things easy for that guest throughout their stay … We can service their needs according to their proximity throughout the hotel,” Robertson said.

[Photo Credit: Flickr user bimurch]

Live Blogging Hurricane Sandy: Current Hotel Closings And Special Offers

by McLean Robbins on

Reporting live from your Storm Team headquarters in Washington, D.C., we’re aiming to bring you the very latest on Hurricane Sandy and its associated hotel and travel related closings and special offers.

We’ll update this so long as we have power, so check back in for updates throughout the storm.

HOTEL SPECIALS
The Setai, New York
By using their backup generator, the hotel has a complimentary charging station set up on the corner of 5th and 36th. (h/t The Setai Facebook)

Kimpton Hotels (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.)
Use rate code SANDY for 20% off the best available rate at ALL Kimpton properties in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic. This rate is available through 10/31. Book here or call 1-800-KIMPTON for reservations. They have also waived cancellation fees for all properties (updated 10/30).

The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and Pentagon City
The Washington, D.C. and Georgetown properties are offering a $229 special including Wi-Fi and parking. The Pentagon City property is offering a $299 rate, but the attached Fashion Center at Pentagon City is closed Monday.

The Jefferson, Washington, D.C.
The Jefferson hotel is catering to hurricane-stranded (or powerless) travelers with rates starting at $295 for standard guest rooms and $595 for suites. At 6 PM, guests will meet with the managing staff as the storm intensifies. Guests will enjoy complimentary muffins and coffee in the morning, hot apple cider in the afternoon, and a light supper of hors d’ouerves and cocktails in the evening as part of the room rate.

The Four Seasons, Washington
The hotel is fully operational and offering special rates for locals with a Maryland, D.C. or Virginia ID. Please call the hotel directly at 202-342-0444 to book.

Hyatt Regency Washington
The hotel has rates from $179 for stranded or powerless travelers.

The Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.
The hotel is fully operational (including a movie room with snacks!) and rates start at $335. The hotel also allows for two pets (up to 40 pounds each) so you can even travel with Fido or Fifi.

Hyatt Hotels
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts have waived cancellation fees at many of its East Coast properties, the Hyatt blog reported.

Park Hyatt Washington, D.C.
The hotel is offering a special “neighbor”rate of $229 this week for those stranded because of Sandy. It includes overnight parking in our garage and free WiFi. They’re pet friendly and it is a one time fee of $150, no weight limit. h/t Elizabeth Thorp of Poshbrood.com, a curated catalog of upscale, mom-tested family-friendly accommodations and Virtuoso travel advisors.

Willard InterContinental
The hotel has space, electricity and are dog/pet friendly. Rates begin at $259 a night. They are also offering some fun activities for families today and tomorrow:

  • Willard: cooking demonstration with 3-Michelin star chef Antoine Westermann at Cafe du Parc from 5:30 to 6:15.
  • Pumpkin carving contest – guests will judge at Round Robin Bar from 5:30-7:30
  • Free movie with dinner ordered through room service. (h/t Elizabeth Thorp)

The Fairmont
The hotel is offering a $225 Hurricane rate. Happy hour until midnight, and a family movie with popcorn, sodas and candy. Call 202.429-2400 and ask for the Hurricane rate. (h/t Elizabeth Thorp)

HOTEL CLOSINGS

Sandals Grande Riviera Beach and Villa Golf Resort & Beaches Ocho Rios
The Sandals is closed for new arrivals until November 2, and Beaches will postpone its planned re-opening until November 15 due to hurricane damage, Travel Weekly reports.

New York Marriott Downtown & Ritz-Carlton Battery Park
The hotel has been closed due to evacuations as a precautionary measure against potential flooding, Hotel News Now and USA Today report.

Atlantic City
Casinos in the city have been closed since Sunday afternoon, the Press of Atlantic City is reporting.

Le Parker Meridien New York
Evacuated earlier today. h/t Barbara Delollis.

AIRPORT CLOSINGS

We’d suggest you check directly with your airport or airline for closures and delays, but many airlines are offering waived cancellation and change fees or travel refunds for those affected by the storm.

[Image credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video]

Hotel News We Noted: October 26, 2012

by McLean Robbins on

As the East Coast prepares to batten down its hatches for the pending “Frankenstorm” (Hurricane Sandy) and the rest of the country is bombarded with an equally unpleasant series of political messages, we hope this week’s edition of “Hotel News We Noted” can serve as a bright spot. From holiday and Halloween happenings to World Series-worthy suites and new hotel openings, we’ve got it all covered.

As always, please feel free to email us with suggestions or leave a note in the comments below.

Seasonal Specials: Hot Haunted Hotels
Colleague Jessica Festa already gave us a great list of Halloween hotel specials, but the haunted hotel news keeps coming in. Here are a few last-minute favorites:
· Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club has a “spirits menu” of boozy libations as well as a haunted past. Request a room in the historic tower, which has been reported to have friendly paranormal activity.
· Manhattan’s Wolcott Hotel has also had many a ghost encounter, but we’re not scared of the rate (starting at just $200 a night). It’s a scary good deal.
· Allegiance Bed & Breakfast has not one but two ghosts. Karen and Ray apparently like to sit on guests’ beds in the middle of the night.
· We love the gratis PB&J sandwiches at New Orlean’s Le Pavillon hotel, as well as its friendly ghosts. We’re not much of a believer, but during our last stay here, we were definitely captivated by the grand Gilded Age décor.Political Package: Pick Your Party at The Mayflower Renaissance Washington, DC
Get in on the Red State, Blue State debate with The Mayflower’s “Pick Your Party” suite package in Washington. For $5,000, guests can stay in an ultimate Republican or Democrat one-bedroom suite, decorated with appropriate “party-perfect” red or blue decorations, fan-fare, hats, T-shirts and more, a Champagne breakfast for two, politically-inspired DVDs for in-room viewing, and a champagne moonlight limo tour of the monuments. We’re fairly certain this is the political wonk’s dream proposal package as well. Nothing gets you in the mood like re-runs of “The West Wing,” right?

Sweet Suites: Giants Dugout Suite
Rooting for your beloved Giants in the World Series? Do so in style from the Giants Dugout Suite at Hotel Union Square. Styled in the Giants’ signature orange and black and filled with the team’s memorabilia, baseball lovers will feel as if they have hit a home run in this spacious corner suite. From the bed dressed with Giants pillows to the Giants beanbag chair and custom designed “Fear the Beard” window shades, fans will get the ultimate sports experience. The walls are adorned with a three-panel screen of Vida Blue photos, a canvas autographed by Vida Blue, photos of the Giants ballpark, team flags and pennants. The room also comes with four comp tickets to take a tour of the Anchor Brewing Company. We only wish it came with gratis peanuts and hotdogs too … or maybe some World Series tickets.

Hot Hotel Deals of the Week: October 26
We get so many pieces of insider information on hotel sales and upcoming promotions that it seems a waste not to share some of our favorites with you. So each week, look for a few of our favorite hot hotel deals in this space.
· Kimpton is offering rates from just $90 for the next few days with this hot holiday sale. There’s a caveat, you have to be an InTouch member to buy.

[Image credit: Personality Hotels]

Conde Nast Traveler Names Australian Resort Best In The World

by Kraig Becker on

For the first time ever, readers of “Conde Nast Traveler” magazine have named an Australian resort the best in the world. The 2012 edition of the magazine’s popular reader’s choice travel awards selected qualia for this distinct honor, handing out a perfect score of 100 for only the fourth time in the 25-year history of the competition.

This year’s reader’s choice awards saw more than 46,400 respondents who shared their thoughts on their favorite hotels, cities and islands from around the globe. Each of the candidates are rated on a scale from one to five in a variety of categories, with their final scores representing an average of the Excellent and Very Good ratings that they received. In the case of qualia that tabulated up to a perfect score.

Located on the privately owned Hamilton Island, qualia is surrounded by one of the most beautiful settings in the entire world – the Great Barrier Reef. The luxury hotel features 60 private pavilions with spacious accommodations, sundecks and private infinity edge pools that overlook the ocean. Two bars and restaurants, a private dining hall, a world-class spa, fitness center and library round out the a amenities that will keep guests cloaked in comfort for the entire length of their stay.

Hamilton Island is located in the Whitsunday Islands, quite possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. For those who can’t get enough time on the beach or water, it is simply paradise. If you’re adventurous enough to enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving, the Great Barrier Reef is amazing as well. I spent hours just floating along watching colorful and exotic fish by the hundreds. As someone who tends to usually favor mountains over beaches, this was still one of my favorite destinations ever.

[Photo credit: qualia]

Hotel News We Noted: October 20, 2012

by McLean Robbins on

What a week it has been! We’ve been busy reporting the latest hotel series here on Gadling, “Birth of a Hotel,” as well as meeting with friends from some of our favorite hotels and travel groups around the world. As we head deep past the midpoint of October, we’re already being bombarded with holiday pitches. It’s enough (along with the explosion of pumpkin-themed goodness everywhere) to put us in the holiday spirit … or at least a bit more jolly than usual. We hope this week’s news will put you in a good mood too … whether you’re geeking out over the latest digital news or dreaming of a fair weather spa weekend.


Drama Drama: Eden Roc South Beach
Long story short, Eden Roc was, until earlier this week, a Marriott-managed property … a Renaissance, to be exact. That was, until the ownership group attempted to overthrow them in a predawn raid (yes, we said raid) on Oct. 14. Really, this isn’t out of a movie. Like Katie Holmes serving Tom Cruise divorce papers, they were all set up for a new hotel, arranging for a new website, name and all … alleging mismanagement of their darling property. But things didn’t go as planned. Marriott sued and won a restraining order against the ownership group. As of today, the property is still firmly in Marriott control. Perhaps they’d had practice in situations like this before. Remember the Edition in Waikiki? Drama, drama. We’ll keep you posted.

On the Digital Front: Fairmont Gets a Facelift

We admit, we secretly (or not so secretly, if you’re reading this) geek out with joy when a hotel joins the 21st century and gets a new, user-friendly website. Maybe because, in our other life, we actually help hotels develop usable content strategies, but that’s besides the point. We like the look! It’s sleek, clean and image-driven … and uses a very similar font to Four Seasons, whose website we reported on back in June. The “Enhance Your Stay” section that allows for add-ons right within the booking window offers everything from breakfast and massages to hot air balloon rides.

Romantic Room Service: Inn at the 5th
When we’re on a romantic weekend (ha, that’s rare) we love a good room service expedition. Who doesn’t? That’s why we’ll be ordering our eggs benny from Eugene, Oregon’s Inn at the 5th, where rooms feature private butlers’ doors so that orders can be completed without ever revealing your true identity (or ugly pajamas). What an ingenious idea for those who want their meals in complete privacy.

News from ‘Cross the Pond: Churchill’s Classy New Digs
Hyatt Regency London at the Churchill has a new hot spot, their soon-to-open Churchill Bar. We had breakfast this morning with Henny Fraser, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, and she told us about the hotel’s new bar concept, which takes the former cigar lounge and transforms it into a open a contemporary bar and lounge space based on what hotel muse Winston Churchill would have loved as a young man. Focused on gin, local cuisine and high-touch service, this sounds like a place we’d love to enjoy a cocktail … you can too, starting November 24.

[Photo Credit: Inn at the 5th]